Bidirectional sync between Zoho Bookings and Zoho CRM - Part 1

Bidirectional sync between Zoho Bookings and Zoho CRM - Part 1

Hey, community members!

The default integration between Zoho CRM and Zoho Bookings is unidirectional, which means that any appointments booked, rescheduled, or deleted in Zoho Bookings will be reflected in Zoho CRM. However, any modifications made to events in Zoho CRM that originated from Zoho Bookings will not be reflected back in Zoho Bookings. Hence, as we're announcing in this community post, we've made the sync bidirectional.

This community post will cover the process of configuring appointment bookings from Zoho CRM in Zoho Bookings, as well as managing appointment statuses such as Canceled, No Show and Completed. We have addressed the rescheduling action in a separate post. To view it, please click on the following link: Reschedule Action

This community post will be beneficial for active Zoho CRM users who handle all their meetings within Zoho CRM. Additionally, you can use this community post as a reference to explore various automation possibilities tailored to your business requirements. For instance, with this post's guidance, when you update a booking's status field to "Completed" in Zoho CRM, it will automatically sync with Zoho Bookings and trigger an automated "Mark as completed" email to customers. This enhancement will improve your Zoho Bookings and Zoho CRM synchronization experience, making appointment management easier.

Prerequisites of bidirectional sync: 
  • Zoho Bookings Premium subscription
  • Zoho CRM paid subscription
  • Enable Zoho CRM integration within Zoho Bookings
The purpose of enabling the Zoho CRM integration within Zoho Bookings is to transfer booking details from Zoho Bookings to Zoho CRM. In this configuration, the mandatory field is the Booking ID, which is passed from Zoho Bookings to Zoho CRM through the integration. Whenever an appointment is booked, customer details will be sent to the designated CRM module, and a corresponding record will be created in the Meetings module within Zoho CRM, which will help in automating the workflow.

Here's the complete demo video that covers all the configurations discussed in the community post below:

Timestamps for your reference: 

0:35 - Purpose of this community post
1:26 - Zoho CRM plugin installation
4:43 - Custom field creation
7:20 - Function creation
9:22 - Connection creation
10:24 - Configuring arguments 
11:06 - Workflow creation
13:33 - Argument mapping
14:41 - Output verification
17:41 - Conclusion



How we're approaching this bidirectional sync

1. Booking an appointment from Zoho CRM

Install the Zoho Bookings for Zoho CRM plugin within your Zoho CRM application. This plugin enables the creation of a "New Appointment" button within the Zoho CRM Leads and Contacts module, which enables you to select the desired booking page you wish to open. You can choose from various workspace, service, or staff booking pages. After configuration, you can initiate the process of scheduling bookings directly from within your Zoho CRM account. 
2. Booking status: Completed or No Show

To update a booking's status (Completed or No Show), we've added a new picklist properties field named "Booking Status" in the Meetings module and configured it with two options: "completed" and "no show". Depending on the booking status chosen, the corresponding booking in Zoho Bookings will be updated.
  • Details on how to add a custom field to the Meetings module : Customizing modules

  • Here's a video that demonstrates how to add a field to a module in Zoho CRM: Adding fields
Reference:




3. Booking status: Canceled 

Whenever a meeting is deleted from the Meetings module, the corresponding booking in the Zoho Bookings app will also be canceled automatically. The meeting can be deleted either from the Meetings module or directly from the calendar.





To enable bidirectional sync between Zoho CRM and Zoho Bookings

Complete these steps in Zoho CRM.

Step 1: Creating connections

You first need to establish a connection between Zoho CRM and Zoho Bookings. Zoho Bookings is listed as one of the default connections in Zoho CRM, making it simple to set up. Select the Zoho Bookings connection, define the connection name and scope, and you'll be all set. This connection will enable you to link both applications and facilitate the seamless transfer of data. 
Read here for more details on how to create connection in Zoho CRM: Connections

Step 2: Creating functions

In this context, we'll be creating three functions: one for marking appointments as completed, another for canceling appointments, a third for marking appointments as no shows, and a fourth for rescheduling appointments. For each function, we must also configure arguments, which pass values or data into a function when making a call. Here, we'll pass the booking ID to the function as an argument to update the necessary booking status.

i. To create a function for marking appointments as completed:
 
     1. Go to Setup > Developer Space > Functions.
     2. In the Functions page, click + Create New Function.

     3. Configure the function name, display name, and description.
     4. Set the category as automation.

More details:  Functions

This opens the Deluge script page.

     5. Next, configure the function's arguments:
          A. Click on Edit Arguments on the Deluge script page.

          B. Set the Parameter Name as bookingID. (Please note that the "bookingID" value is case sensitive and must match 
               the term used in the code).
          C. Set the type as string.

Reference:


Please configure the below code in the Deluge script page. 

Code link: Completed



By completing these steps, we've configured a function that will mark appointments as completed.

ii. To create a function for marking appointments as no shows

      1. Go to Setup > Developer Space > Functions.
      2. In the Functions page, click + Create New Function.

      3. Configure the function name, display name, and description.
      4. Set the category as automation.

More details:  Functions

This opens the Deluge script page.

      5. Next, configure the function's arguments:
           A. Click on Edit Arguments on the Deluge script page.

           B. Set the Parameter Name as bookingID. (Please note that the "bookingID" value is case sensitive and must match
                the term used in the code).
           C. Set the type as string. 

Reference:


Please configure the below code on the Deluge script page.

Code link: No show



By completing these steps, we've configured a function that marks appointments as no shows.

iii. To create a function for marking appointments as canceled

      1. Go to Setup > Developer Space > Functions.
      2. In the Functions page, click + Create New Function.

      3. Configure the function name, display name, and description.
      4. Set the category as automation.

More details:  Functions

This opens the Deluge script page.

      5. Next, configure the function's arguments:
            A. Click on Edit Arguments on the Deluge script page.

            B. Set the Parameter Name as bookingID. (Please note that the "bookingID" value is case sensitive and must match
                 the term used in the code).
            C. Set the type as string. 

Reference



Please configure the below code on the Deluge script page.

Code link: Cancel appointment 



By completing these steps, we've configured a function that marks appointments as canceled.

Code explanation

Below is an explanation of the code that covers all the configurations present in the three functions mentioned above (cancel, mark as completed, and mark as no show).

Line 1: Based on the Zoho Bookings account's data center, we're setting up the API endpoint URL configuration. 
Lines 2 - 4: To update appointments, we utilize the Zoho Bookings API. Within the update appointment API, there are two mandatory fields that need to be included: BookingID and action (completed/cancel/noshow). 

Lines 5 - 10: We use the invokeURL task for API calls. To learn more about the invokeURL task, please refer to the following document: InvokeURL task for API calls

Now, let's proceed and learn about the process of creating a workflow and linking the established functions to it. This will enable us to automate the entire appointment status updating process.


Step 3: Creating a workflow

Workflow rules are sets of actions (email notifications, tasks and field updates) that are executed when specified conditions are met. Here, we'll generate workflow rules for each action to activate the respective function, thereby automating the appointment status updating process.

More details: Workflow overview

i. Creating a workflow for "canceling" appointments in Zoho Bookings when a meeting is deleted in Zoho CRM

Part 1: Creating the rule

      1. Go to Setup > Automation > Workflow Rules.
      2. In the Workflow Rules page, click Create Rule.

      3. Select "Meetings" under Module and configure rule name and description as required.

More details: Create Rule

Reference: 


Part 2: Specifying the rule trigger

More details: Specify rule triggers

      1. Select Record Action > Delete > Done to execute the rule when meetings are deleted.

      2. Configure condition > All Meetings.

      3. Instant Actions > Function.

      4. Click the New Function button.


      5. In the Configure custom function page, select the "cancel" function you created from among the functions users in your organization have created.


Part 3: Argument mapping

      1. Press # to choose an argument value.

      2. Select Meetings under Module and BookingId in the field.

      3. Click the Save and Associate button.

Reference:


Below is the final flow of the cancel booking workflow:


At the end of Part 3, we will have created a workflow that will be executed automatically when meetings are deleted in Zoho CRM. Simultaneously, the bookings associated with the meeting will also be canceled in Zoho Booking.

ii. Creating workflow for updating an appointment's status as "no show" in Zoho Bookings when the meeting's booking status is marked as no show in Zoho CRM

Part 4: Creating the rule

      1. Go to Setup > Automation > Workflow Rules.
      2. In the Workflow Rules page, click Create Rule.

      3. Select Meetings under Module and configure the rule name and description as required.

More details: Create Rule

Reference:

 
Part 5: Specifying the rule trigger

If you encounter difficulties while navigating through the steps mentioned below, please refer to Part 2 above, where we have provided step-by-step screenshots for clarification.

      1. Record Action > Edit. 

      2. Enable the Specific field(s) gets modified and configure it per the screenshot below.
          a. This is to ensure that the workflow is executed only when the booking status under the meeting module is
              updated to "No Show".

      3. Configure condition > All Meetings.
      4. Instant Actions > Function > New Function.
      5. In the Configure custom function page, select the "no show" function you created from among the functions
          users in your organization have created.

Part 6: Argument mapping:

If you encounter difficulties while navigating through the steps mentioned below, please refer to Part 3 above, where we have provided step-by-step screenshots for clarification.

      1. Press # to choose an argument value.
      2. Select Meetings under Module and configure the field as "BookingId".
      3. Click Save and Associate button.

Reference:


Below is the final flow of the "No Show" booking status workflow:


At the end of part 6, we will have created a workflow that automatically executes when the booking status field within the Zoho CRM Meetings module is updated to "No Show." This action will result in the associated bookings for that meeting also being marked as "No Show" in Zoho Bookings.

iii. Creating workflow for updating appointment status as "Completed" in Zoho Bookings when the booking status field of the meeting is marked as completed in Zoho CRM.

Part 7: Creating the rule

      1. Go to Setup > Automation > Workflow Rules.
      2. In the Workflow Rules page, click Create Rule.

      3. Select Meetings under Module and configure rule name and description as required.

Reference:



Part 8: Specifying the rule trigger

If you encounter difficulties while navigating through the steps mentioned below, please refer to Part 2 above, where we have provided step-by-step screenshots for clarification.

      1. Record Action > Edit.

      2. Enable the Specific field(s) gets modified setting and configure it per the screenshot below.
            a. This serves to ensure that the workflow is executed only when the booking status under the Meetings module is
                updated to "Completed".

      3. Configure condition > All Meetings.
      4. Instant Actions > Function > New Function.
      5. In the Configure custom function page, select the "completed" function you created from among the functions users
          in your organization have created.

Part 9: Argument mapping:

If you encounter difficulties while navigating through the steps mentioned below, please refer to Part 3 above, where we have provided step-by-step screenshots for clarification.

      1. Press # to choose an argument value.
      2. Select Meetings under Module and configure the field as "BookingId".
      3. Click Save and Associate button.

Reference:


Below is the final flow of the "Completed" booking status workflow:


At the end of part 9, we will have created a workflow that is automatically executed when the booking status field within the Zoho CRM Meetings module is updated to "Completed." As a result, the associated bookings for that meeting will also be marked as "Completed" in Zoho Bookings.

Conclusion

We've reached the end of this community post. With the integration mentioned above in place, you'll be able to book, cancel, and update the status of appointments in Zoho Bookings directly from your Zoho CRM application. This will help you effectively manage your appointments in one place. As mentioned above, we've covered the rescheduling action in a separate post, which you can access by clicking on the following link: Reschedule Action

Furthermore, we've outlined a method for automating appointment statuses in detail. You can use this document as a reference to explore the various possibilities that suit your needs.
 
If you have any questions or need assistance with your configuration, please email us at hello@zohobookings.com or support@zohobookings.com.

    • Recent Topics

    • Store reviews module just got smarter in Zoho Apptics

      Hello, Apptics community! Every app deserves better visibility in the marketplace, and reviews play a crucial role in improving your app's App Store Optimization (ASO), rankings, and credibility across stores. That's why we've rolled out a set of enhancements

    • Try CRM for everyone button in the way of workflow

      Please consider using the bottom bar for offers. Using the top bar for offers like "Try CRM for everyone" really gets in the way of my day to day workflow.

    • Include EVERYTHING in Language Files

      Hey, we are building out a system, that needs to be translated. The language files lack a few things though. 1. Blueprint names 2. Canvas View elements like tab names Please include everything into these files, otherwise it's not really a multi language

    • A way to create kits (groups of items) that do not require bundling and are added to an order as the individual items

      We are evaluating moving off of Sage BusinessWorks (which handles accounting, order entry, inventory control, accounts receivable, etc) to Zoho Books/Inventory. One of the things we heavily use is a feature called Kits, which allows creating a group of

    • Allocating Salesman To Customer

      Hello, please add a feature to allocate a salesman to a particular business customer/account. Regards

    • Shipment

      I have 70 shipments Out of which 40 delivery date are updated( since it is live tracked) 30 numbers i need to update manually. How to do it in bulk?

    • arabic not printing

      Qatar has a legal requirement to have invoices in English and Arabic. When writing invoice fields in Arabic, they don't print. Why?

    • How to show Order Number/SO Ref on Invoice emails

      When creating a sales order or invoice we have an option to input an order number or ref# (see attached images). For the Sales Order email template we can add a placeholder for the SO_REF. However, for the Invoice email template there's no option to reference

    • Specify in-line image size in question

      I have an image inserted into a file upload type question. I can click and drag the corner of the image to make it larger or smaller, but I would like to manually input the dimensions I need. No matter what size I make the image in photoshop before uploading

    • Can you limit who creates tags?

      Hi there, I'd like to find out if it's possible to limit which Agents create tags on Zoho desk. Thank you. 

    • Auto CC - Moving Departments

      We have Auto CC e-mail replies to your support mailbox enabled. We have two departments: Helpdesk (helpdesk@domain.com) Delivery (delivery@domain.com) If we create a Helpdesk ticket, and reply, replies are CC'd to helpdesk@domain.com (OK) We then move

    • Sudden Layout Issue After Last CSS Update for ZML (Temporary Fix Inside)

      Hi, Our clients have noticed today that every section laid out with ZML suddenly shows an unwanted top padding/blank space that interrupts the user screens. It appears that Zoho has changed the default CSS for the .zcp-col.zcp-panel-rowtype-auto element.

    • Customer paid excess. How do I record payment?

      A customer has paid me Rs. 7150 which is in excess. The amount due is Rs. 5388 I owe them Rs. 1762 back which I will be transferring to their account tomorrow. How do I get this entered into Zoho Books? I'm a little lost. :) Rishi

    • Search Bar Improvement for Zoho Commerce

      Hey everyone, I've been using Zoho Commerce for a bit now, and I think the search bar could really use an upgrade. Right now, it doesn't show products in a dropdown as you type, which would make finding items a lot faster. On Shopify, for example, you

    • Tabular View Report | Scale To Fit Screen

      Please add the option to scale Tabular View reports to fit the screen. I constantly have to adjust the column size of Tabular View reports to fit various screen sizes and it just looks messy. You can see in the screenshot below there is a blank gap after

    • Why Server error in creatiing Landing Pages

      Hi Zoho Team, pls see my screenshot and tell me, what's wrong. Thx

    • Tip 31: How to make a field in a Zoho Creator form mandatory based on criteria

      Hi folks,   I'm sure most of you are familiar with the Mandatory property available in our form builder. It enables you to ensure that your users enter an input in a required field. If they don't enter an input in that field, they'll be unable to submit

    • Bulk update account type when adding a bill

      Hi I've only been using Zoho Books for a short while but I'm impressed so far, keep up the great work. One minor issue I'm coming up against is when creating a new bill from a scanned document (supplier invoice). In some cases, the supplier invoice could

    • How to start fresh after many years of using Zoho Books without deleting everything and creating a new organisation?

      Hi, I have used Books since 2016, but never reconciled with my bank account. I was thinking of trying to go back and fix that, but I don't just don't have the time it would take. Instead, I'd like back up my old records and start anew. What is the best

    • How do I modify the the incoming/current call popup? I can modify other call pages but not that one.

      I want to modify the incoming and active call popup on the crm to include customer relevant information, such as purchase history or length of relationship. Under modules and fields, I don't seem to see active call as a choice to modify, only the main

    • Canvas: Add Sections to Detail View

      Currently it is only possible to add fields to a canvas detail view. This makes Canvas hard to maintain, because everytime we add a field to our system, someone needs to go into the canvas view and add it there as well. This leads to additional work and

    • Automation#32:Auto Add New Portal Users to the Help Center User Groups

      Hello Everyone, Introducing a custom function that automates the process of adding new portal users to Help Center user groups, making user management effortless! By default, Zoho Desk allows you to assign new portal users to groups manually. But with

    • Cannot delete old accounts

      Hello, I try to delete old accounts from CRM, but it won't permit, saying documents are still linked to them. I searched in CRM and BOOKS, found some documents and deleted them, but still CRM won't delete them. Any idea how to do that ? I have a lot of

    • Offline mode on Android TV app?

      Hello! Is there a way to use Zoho Show offline in the Android TV app? I have an Android TV based projector, and I travel with it, and don't want to have to rely on a steady internet connection when giving a presentation.

    • Choice-based Field Rules on Global Lists

      Hi, The new Choice-based Field Rules should also be able to work with Global Lists not just local lists. Thanks Dan

    • Tip #36- How to use Survey in Zoho Assist to capture valuable feedback from remote sessions- 'Insider Insights'

      How to use Survey in Zoho Assist to capture valuable feedback from remote sessions The survey feature allows technicians and customers to share their valuable feedback, contributing to the improvement of remote service quality. After the completion of

    • Narrative 3 - Comprehending User Management

      Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system - BTS Series Narrative 3 - Comprehending User Management User management in a ticketing system includes important aspects of how administrators oversee user access, roles, and permissions. This process

    • Product Details's Description is lost

      Hi CRM lost its description in Product details subform. Can you make some test before deploy any update?

    • Sent items with shared folders

      Hello, this is in some way in between a problem and an idea.  When sharing folders (which is actually not any close to a shared mailbox...) the person which the folder has been shared with can access that folder and can send emails when delegation is

    • Zoho Bookings Issues We are facing

      Hi team, Here are list of issues we are facing with Zoho Bookings when migrating from other platforms. Sorry there is a lot but the bookings app need to be functional and practical for people to actually use it and not-cause MORE problems by being so basic and not customisable to each business.  1: SMS reminders for staff  There should be time limits on these reminders to make them useful. EG. if a new booking comes in more than 4 hours from now we don't really need to get a reminder, however if

    • Booking outside of scheduled availability

      Is there a way for staff (such as the secretary) to book appointments outside of the scheduled availability? Right now to do this special hours must be set each time. There should be a quicker way. Am I missing something?

    • Run workflow on data import in Creator 6

      How to run a workflow on data import in Creator 6?

    • Multi Day booking for resources

      I have following business-case: Rental for Tablets. Customer should be able to select how many device for how many days he'd like to rent. Same as a car rental for multiple days. Is this possible with Bookings on the current version?

    • Add Usage & Voting Analytics for Knowledge Base Articles in Zoho SalesIQ

      Dear Zoho SalesIQ Team, We appreciate the current integration between Zoho Desk and Zoho SalesIQ that allows knowledge base articles to be synced and displayed to users directly within the SalesIQ chat interface. One valuable feature already available

    • Real-Time Alert or Status Indicator for WhatsApp Connection Issues in SalesIQ

      Hi Zoho Team, We’d like to request a feature enhancement in Zoho SalesIQ related to WhatsApp integration stability and visibility. Recently, we encountered a critical issue where our WhatsApp bot stopped responding to messages without any warning or alert

    • Customization of Chat Transcript Emails in Zoho SalesIQ

      Hi Zoho SalesIQ Team, I hope you're doing well. We would like to request the ability to customize the email template that is sent to clients when they request a chat transcript from SalesIQ. Currently, when a client clicks the button to receive their

    • Import from Linkedin

      Please provide a way to enable importing contact information for Contacts and Companies from Linkedin? Thanks

    • The ability to format text fields, ie when data is number or currency

      Hello, I have spent some time trying to determine how to accomplish this but it appears to be impossible. I want to merge a currency field from CRM into a PDF document. The CRM data shows $1,234, but when zSign gets the data it shows 1234 in the text

    • Tip of the Week #64– Customize your sidebar for a more focused workflow.

      When your shared spaces start filling up with too many views, it gets a little harder to zoom in on what really matters. You find yourself scrolling more than working, and the things that need your attention? They’re often buried down below. Custom sidebar

    • Zoho Social - Queries about GST invoices and subscription

      Hi, I am going to purchase the Zoho Social tool with a yearly subscription. So, can you please help me with my below queries: 1. How I get the monthly GST Invoices? 2. What is the process of subscription? 2. How to cancel a subscription?

    • Next Page